Best Martial Arts

Best Martial Arts

There are many forms or disciplines in the world of martial arts.  They are distinctly unique from one another.  One reason is that these disciplines were developed based on social and cultural circumstances of its place of origin.  They vary because of the philosophical point of view of its creator.  These differences make it very difficult to answer which is the best martial arts discipline or technique as others prefer to call it.

Asking the question which is the best martial arts would get a lot of different responses.  Everybody has his or her own opinion which technique or discipline is best.  Others have a different approach in determining which martial arts technique is the most superior.  Even in full contact professional competitions, the technique or discipline does not guarantee victory all the time.  The victorious is the one who applied what his technique taught him and how to apply at any given situation.

We must remember that situations vary so one approach may work for one and may not for the other.  In this regard, it would be very difficult to answer which martial arts or technique is the best.

To answer which martial arts is the best is to answer which martial arts is most appealing to you.  It is a matter of personal preference.  At the end of the day, how you apply what you’ve learned is the bottom line question.

So, if determining which martial arts is best for you is a matter of personal preference, then the next logical step for you to do is to find out what your preferences are.  Do you believe that the best form of martial arts is a lot of kicking?  Do you prefer using your opponent’s strengths against him to win?  Do you want to be flashy or you want to be smooth and stealthy?  These are but a few questions you need to ask yourself first before proceeding to anything.  Otherwise, you will find yourself jumping from one course to the other without finding where to settle.

Consider the following various forms of martial arts and their scope and variation:

• For striking, you may want to learn western boxing or Wing Chun (Chinese origin) which focuses on punching.  Capoeira and Savate focus in kicking.  For multiple strikes (punch, knees, elbows) you can learn Muay Thai, Karate, Shaolin Kung Fu, Taekwondo and Kickboxing.

• For grappling: Gilma, Judo, Jujutsu, Sambo and Shuai jiao focuses on throwing your opponent to the ground.  For joint manipulation and locks – Aikido, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Hapkido are best.

• For weaponry: there are two categories here, the traditional and the modern.  Traditional weaponry – fencing, Gatka, Kendo, Kyudo and Silamban.  Modern weaponry – Eskrima, Jogo do Pau, Jukendo and Canne do combat.

If you prefer studying and enjoying martial arts without having to actually fight with an opponent, you may want to check martial arts that are designed for exhibition and performance.  Think of it as martial arts movement incorporated in a dance.  These are the following:  Wushu (China), European Sword dance, Brazil’s Capoeira similarly known as Afro-Caribbean arts, Buza (Russia), Haka (New Zealand), Khattak Dance (Afghanistan and Pakistan), Hula & Lua (Hawaii) and Panther Dance (Burma).